Guard In The Garden By Z.S. Diamanti: A Comfort Fantasy Review

Cozy fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy that has gained a lot of traction in the past few years and is identified primarily by a lack of high stakes, not much in the way of action, and an easy going plot aimed more at putting the reader at ease than sweeping them off to adventures untold. Cozy fantasy rolls off the tongue easily, but it’s a feminine word. Often, the books most popular in the genre are equally feminine in nature with no small amount of them being sapphic romance or about other slice-of-life activities such as knitting or running a coffee house. Comfort is a more accurate nomenclature–especially for this book. Guard in the Garden is fantasy comfort food by Z.S. Diamanti.

Cozy fantasy is about vibes, relaxing and easy going in its reads. If you want a good example of the kind of story to expect, look to the Shire opening of The Fellowship of the Ring. The Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing games are also stalwart examples of storytelling with no fail state. But whereas the genre is littered with a lot of effeminate books, ZS Diamante adds a decidedly masculine touch by having his book about an injured war veteran in a role he didn’t ask for.

The book is set in Finlestia, the world of his Stone & Sky trilogy which I have previously reviewed (and enjoyed). Readers who previously read his work may note that his writing already had a slice-of-life element to the books when characters were in-between battles, moments of drama, and adventuring. Set sometime between the first and second book, it follows Felton Holdum, a dwarf warrior and garvawk rider (a large winged panther).

At the start of the book, Felton witnesses his commanding officer devoured by a dragon, is subsequently injured in his leg by an arrow and his winged garvawk is killed. In the aftermath, like any good warrior, he is itching to get back to fighting but his injury and lack of a mount mean he can't return to his previous command. He tries to go back to a previous position as a warhog rider, but his injury, again, prevents him from being effective at the role. Stuck with a limp that is slow to heal, the only role he is permitted to hold is in the understaffed city guard in the most quiet district imaginable.

ZS Diamanti’s previous service in the military lends the book a more personal touch, one that's rarely brought about in fantasy stories: what does a warrior do when he can’t go back like he wants? What kind of life is he supposed to lead now? What good is he if he can’t fight effectively? How does he cope with his life now devoid of the brotherhood of warriors he once had? Felton struggles with feelings of guilt, uselessness, and has frequent nightmares that bring an element of PTSD that many modern former servicemen suffer with. Though these are heavy topics for a comfort fantasy, they are never so heavy that it brings the mood of the book down. In fact, one of the book’s strengths is how it portrays the importance of a good support structure to one’s recovery.

Throughout all of this, Felton is backed by the support of side characters: his twin aunts, whom he stays with, his burgeoning love interest and her daughter, members of the district he guards and befriends. Felton is a lovable grump, discontent with his sudden lot in life but too proud to let others down by being dour or unapproachable. He comes to aid others in an effort to keep himself busy and not dwelling on his many issues and ultimately finds that he is not just another face in the crowd, but a valued neighbor and stalwart presence in a community district that is healing from an attack in a parallel manner to his own healing journey. This extends to his personal life as the book does have a romantic sub-plot.

The garden part of his district is tended to by a human woman named Tilli and her young daughter Lili. Felton becomes a surrogate father figure to Lili as his relationship with Tilli grows over the course of the book. While romance is usually a topic dealt with by female authors and male authors who write it tend to have mixed results, ZS Diamanti handles Felton and Tilli’s burgeoning relationship with simplicity and tact. It never becomes too sappy and feels grounded. Tilli is a sweet character that complements Felton’s gruff personality.

Lest one think the entire book deals with trauma and romance, know that these are actually much smaller elements of the story. Much of it is Felton navigating through his friends and family’s affable attempts to bring him into slice-of-life activities and good-hearted encounters with locals. He talks about his aunt’s cooking, helps repair parts of the district, has humorous encounters with Tam, a tortoise who dwells in the garden who only moves when Felton isn’t looking at him, judges a pie-eating contest. Actually, there’s a lot of eating and food in the book. Do not read this if you are hungry.

Guard in the Garden is a delightful story that never goes too far into the challenging aspects of its heavier topics and always maintains a comforting read. Readers looking for a change of pace in their usual reads will find a heartwarming story of a man trying to hold the fragmented pieces of his life together with friends and family. If you are interested, the book can be bought directly from the author and comes in a box with stickers and even a recipe for one of the many foods eaten by the characters. While not a book for readers who want a more exciting and adventurous tale, it is perfect for readers looking for something easy or perfect for kids. The author writes accessible all-ages fantasy in both cozy and classic fantasy.

ZS Diamanti provided an ARC copy of the book for review purposes in exchange for a fair review.

The book is available on Kindle Unlimited, in ebook, paperback, and hardback format. An audiobook is also available.